Myles Newman is an assortment of the happiest of music genres! His unique style blended with his home studio production explores the rare humble aspects hard to find in modern music. The up and coming multi instrumentalist is still in the early days of his career but its only a matter of time until he blows up.
When and why did your musical journey begin?
Well I played a lot of guitar as a kid, I had lessons at school that kind of thing. I started to write songs when I was around 15, which naturally turned into producing songs, I suppose you could say that I started my career at around 17. I wasn’t very academic so there wasn’t anything going on that front so I turned to my passion which is music, It just gave me a window of opportunity to have fun whilst making something I actually cared about, you know?
Who were your three biggest inspirations when recording 'Little Message' and why?
Well, its hard to whittle it down to three but if you’re going to push me I’d have to say Connan Mockasin, Steely Dan and Sheer Mag.
It’s very difficult to say just three but I’ve got my reasons haha ; I mention Mockasin because of his unique production style, you can tell it’s Connan when you hear it. He sings really intimately and his songs are very funky, especially live!
Steely Dan are up there in my top artists of all time. Their approach to music is so different to anything I had heard at the time, especially the songwriting, the whole ‘Yacht Rock’ sub-genre really got the best of me during the Little Message recording sessions. It just ticks all the boxes!
Sheer Mag is an interesting one, they’re a band from Philadelphia and make this kind of funky, really dirty but sweet rock-y music. Makes me think of Thin Lizzy a lot. They always just put a smile on my face whenever I’m listening to them, amazing guitar riffs too.
Is there a message you always aim to convey within your music? And why is it important to you?
I don’t really to be honest. I suppose the message is just what I’m getting off my chest in my lyrics or I don’t know haha! There are people who write music to make a difference and talk about the world’s problems which is very cool, but its not me. If I had a message it would be Live, Laugh, Love!
What is the most important thing to think about when writing and recording?
I’d say don’t be afraid to write bad songs. I think I speak for a lot of artists when I say I find my older music that’s out completely unlistenable, whether that’s from a production point of view or writing. I’d also say just do it! The best way to learn how to produce is just trial and error, its getting to that point now where a majority of artists are also self producing in someway and its great! But everyone needs a unique selling point in this industry and experimentation in recording techniques and just production in general is one of the best ways to find yours!
Do you prefer recording from a home studio environment?
Absolutely! I have very limited experience in a proper fancy studio, but I feel like if I didn’t make my music the way I do, I wouldn’t be here, you know? Its a very rewarding experience, once I finish a song I feel like “hey I made that! That’s me!”.
It also eliminates a lot of unnecessary pressures that loom overhead when using a studio, the thought of ‘ahh I paid a grand to record this song it needs to be absolutely incredible or I wasted all that money and time’, and also the whole thing of singing in front of people and stuff, which can feel vulnerable at times for me. I don’t have to worry about just stopping for a day if I’m not getting this guitar part down or something along those lines too. Working on tape machines and using analogue gear makes things fun too. The music I’m inspired by is all recorded on tape, so making songs that sound like it was from that era is a very satisfying experience for me.
Apart from music, do you have any other creative outlets that you enjoy?
I don’t to be honest! I’m not a keen painter or anything. I enjoy skateboarding and have done for the past 4 years or so. It gets me out and about. I’ve met a lot of really cool people and been some cool places through skating.
Compare yourself to any household object and why?
Hard question! I’d say I’m a lamp because I always light up the room hehe.
Are there any up and coming artists that you think deserve a bigger platform?
Prince!
What's been a highlight in your work so far?
Getting my work onto vinyl for sure! That was really satisfying to see it go from my tape machine all the way through to vinyl. Big thanks to Flying Vinyl for that opportunity and for everyone for buying one!
What's next?
Well, I do have a new single in the works which you’ll hear about soon .Myself and my very good friend Sylvain just made a cover of a song called ‘Only You Know’ which we were pretty proud of! It resembles the new single in many ways, so make sure you catch that one! We also just booked a show with our good friends Sugarthief and Spilt Milk Society in Birmingham in September. Can’t wait for that one, it’s our biggest Brum show yet so make sure you’re there for it!
Myles Newman Link's
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mylesnewmannn/
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